March 12, 2011

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Aides to John McCain initially added Sarah Palin to his "short list" of potential running mates because McCain wanted a woman on the list, according to his campaign manager.

McCain entered the vice presidential selection process with a list of five possibilities: Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Michael Bloomberg, Charlie Crist, and Joe Lieberman, according to Washingtonian's profile (which isn't online) of Washington lawyer A.B. Culvahouse, who led the search.

"As the clock was running out, [campaign manager Rick] Davis say McCain asked to have at least one woman on the short list. His advisers went back to the long list and plucked out Palin's name," the magazine reported.

The questions of how thoroughly Palin was vetted, and why she was chosen, have been sore spots that helped divide McCain's campaign in its aftermath between its leadership, who saw her as an out-of-control, destructive force, and another group of staffers who saw her as a more promising figure than McCain himself.

Remember, when you read a Ben Smith opinion item, he was at one time a charter member of the John Harris inspired JournoList cabal. Of course there is no evidence to suggest he is no longer a member in good standing.

Three of McCain's original five candidates are an indication of how out of touch McCain was and remains with the ideology of the conservative movement and the Republican Party.
Crist, Lieberman and Bloomberg
would have been horrific picks.
McCain's pick of Palin however redefines horrific.
McCain's choice was not based on ideology and principles ,
just a last minute frantic decision.
McCain compounded that glaring error in judgement by not properly vetting Palin.
It was the political version of last call in a bar and McCain obviously wore his beer goggles
when choosing Palin .
To paraphrase Hillary , it was McCain's failed 2 am phone call.
The Republican Party paid the price in 2008 for McCain's poor decision making capabilities .
Palin continues to be an albatross around the neck of conservatives and the Republican Party .
During time outs from her jabberwocky FOX News charade and parade,
Palin's dark shadow will continue to hover over the party throughout
the next election cycle.
Of the four who ran in 2008 , Joe Biden
of all people , has shown the most gravitas
and demonstrated the strongest
leadership qualities compared to
Obama, McCain and Palin.
If that wasn't so sad, it might actually be funny.

Hahahaha.... And Barry was elected because he was the most qualified for the job... haha... The only reason he's there is because he is black. He has no experiences, no credentials, didn't do anything, voted present... But he's great at throwing parties, reading teleprompters and talking crap.

McCain was erratic and Palin was clueless. That's not a ticket that would even be voted by stupid. It's funny how he didn't even mention Mike Huckabee who had a more compelling story than Double-faced Romney and Dull Pawlenty.

Didn't we know this already? McCain grabbed whatever he could to save his sinking ship. What the republican leadership forgot to tell him was that no republican was going to win that election, no matter what. They were willing to waste him for the greater good of the party. But he pulled a sneaky one on them and now they have to deal with the fallout. ......
Palin 2012..... I'm voting for her in the primaries and encourage all my independent voter friends to do the same. Then in the general election, flush her and her true patriots out of the system for good.

How simple minded of those commenting on here to believe that a national candidate would select anyone just because they were a woman. Maybe they threw darts at a map and it landed on Alaska. Give me a break!!!

Ben Smith, with everything going on in the world today, is this the most important thing on your list? You are supposed to be a jounalist. You are nothing more than a shill for the progressive movement in this country. Maybe you should consider a different type of work, you're not cutting it here.

Another one of thousands of stories about Palin. The man has to have a "crush" on her, either that, or he simply cannot stand her and despises her with every ounce of his body?. And they say that they are not at all threatened by her "legitimacy?."

I am not sure who would attack McCain for this. Obama is out talking about equal pay and liberals often stress the goodness, in and of itself, of diversity. (Honestly, is anyone surprised that Palin was, in effect, an affirmative action pick?) -Ben

”It's funny how he didn't even mention Mike Huckabee who had a more compelling story”

Mccain wisely didn’t have huckabee on his list of choices because he knew by the Dems coddling of huck in the media that they were salivating in hopes that he’d be part of the GOP ticket for “an easy kill”. Mccain screwed up with the palin choice but at least he didn’t fall for train-wreck huckabee.

Uh, Ben, your article's headline states that McCain's "campaign manager" said that Palin was added for gender balance.
But reading the article, it seems clear that the campaign manager (Rick Davis) wasn't even interviewed about this.
This claim is being made by a magazine, which (at most) cites someone who WASN'T the campaign manager. And you ran the above headline without bothering to ask Davis about it--didn't they tell you in journalism class that this is shoddy journalism?
Just another instance of "deceptive and dishonest editing" by Ben.

Face it, no matter who McCain picked he wasn't going to win. After 8 years of Bush, no Republican could have gotten elected in 2008. I just pray the American people haven't forgotten what happened during those 8 years and don't give the Republicans total control of our country again in 2012.

I am no fan of Palin but I think most are missing the initial, very important point. It's John McCain who wasn't qualified to be president. Being a POW in Vietnam doesn't automatically make you qualified, but it might make you crazy, which McCain is. Picking Palin as his running mate was excellent evidence of his unqualified nature. Of the 30 or more people who ran in either primary there were only two people qualified for president and neither of them was a white male. White males candidates only need be mediocre.

Jonathan Martin, Member in good standing of the JournoList cabal. The American people can see through your BS.....
How come they only let you on MSNBC?
How much ware have you carried for the Poser in Chief?

McCain and Palin were winning if you recall
until it was clear how much of a mess the banks were in after congress made the banks lower there standards. Then it was, OH look what you did. Typical, McCain & Palin were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Chosen Palin was the 2010 gift to the GOP from McCain. Without Palin, the Tea Party wouldn't take off, there wouldn't be any "Death Panel" to challenge Obamacare (which ultimately led to the strong national opposition of the law). Imagine if McCain had chosen the boring TPaw or Romney. First of all, there wouldn't be a post VP acceptance speech bounce (the only time McCain led Obama). When WallStreet crashed, Obama lead would be by 20+ and the loss gap would have been even bigger because no Republican would be excited to go out and vote for 2 boring RINO....The GOP would have no Palin to energize the base for 2010 and Democrats would still control the House.....Sarah Palin is the best event that happened to the GOP in the past few years and the only Republian chance to beat Obama )liberal know that, reason they are doing their best to sideline her)...If the GOP establishment get behind her and defend her, she can beat Obama because she has the base fired up, can raise the necessary money, will outstage Obama as the center of attention...Independents will NOT VOTE for Obama in 2012 (they will rather stay home or vote for a 3rd Party candidate)....Palin just needs the support of the GOP establishment to get it done.

McCain and Palin were winning if you recall
until it was clear how much of a mess the banks were in after congress made the banks lower there standards. Then it was, OH look what you did. Typical, McCain & Palin were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

McCain and Palin were winning if you recall
until it was clear how much of a mess the banks were in after congress made the banks lower there standards. Then it was, OH look what you did. Typical, McCain & Palin were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Liberals hate God thats funny republicans hate Americans . God may not approve of Sarah Palin in her last campaign speech Palin said" Don't worry God wont let the wrong candidate win" by this she acknowledges God rejected her and picked Obama or if the wrong cadidate won, you must accept God is fairly powerless.

Apparently in the eyes of the Left, racial balance is acceptable but gender balance isn't. Imagine that.
Sooner or later the whiney McCain campaign aides are going to run out of new spittle to prop up Politico's incessant Palin bashing.

Ben, Ben, Ben, this is just getting sad at this point. It is obvious you have some kind of gender confused sexually based hatred of Sarah Palin (from what I have heard you had an aunt who was a little older than you and a librarian and well it wasn't your fault you were a child) but what is really sad is the lack of true friends you have. It is surprising that neither Laura Rozen, Tau, Martin or Keach have enough love of you to point out that you are obsessed and it has made you a laughing stock, but really Ben don't you have someone much closer to you that should have told you this. Well I am not your friend and actually you provide daily entertainment with your wild liberal hack attempts to stir up trouble, but Ben I am telling you the truth here; it would really benefit you to never post anything with Sarah Palin's name in it again. You can write your little smear jobs just do not post them for the world to see. And I think I have mention this before, whoever your analyst is, he or she is failing badly, please get someone new.

RE:McCain was erratic and Palin was clueless.-----------------If Oprah Winfrey can pull a nobody rookie senator out of the most corrupt state in the union, and get the usual couch potatoes to go out and vote then.... anything is possible! At least Palin had actually balanced a budget.

Posted By: RE:McCain was erratic and Palin was clueless.-----------------If Oprah Winfrey can pull a nobody roo | March 12, 2011 at 08:29 PM

@ 8:29: She did? When was this? Here a bit of news for all you fiscal conservatives about this "tough on spending" governor from Alaska.

"It might be helpful to focus on the details of Sarah Palin's record as Governor of Alaska. While some press reports have described her as an opponent of government spending, her short record as Governor tells a different story.

Sarah Palin was elected Governor in November 2006. She inherited the fiscal year 2007 budget, but was responsible for the next two -- fy 2008 and fy 2009. It is difficult to sort out the total spending in budgets, as there are state outlays, federal matching funds, revenues from special funds, and capital outlays. The following are figures from the state general fund portion* of the operating budget . She inherited outlays of $3.343 billion. By fy 2008 this had risen to $3.763 billion. The fy 2009 budget, so far, is $4.242 billion. The two year increase is a whooping 27 percent -- hardly a measure of fiscal restraint. "

And Palin found comfort with a group of far right republicans who believe in conspiracy theories, known as the Tea Party!!! And they showered her with compliments, buying her books, paying to listen to her speak. But fortunately, 80% of Americans were able to see through her ignorance and lies and discovered very quickly that she's a fake!!!!

Picking Palin showed me that McCain wanted the presidency sooo bad, that he'd try anything. That pick showed me he had very poor decision making skills. Unreal, he as got truly reget that decision. Palin is a TOTAL MORON

Geez Lonely Guy, so many posts about Ben, and yet here you are day after day, posting hundreds of comments each week, giving Ben all the reason he needs to keep his job. You are such a conservaTARD!!!! Now tell us again who's got a crush on who??!!!! Looks like YOU just can't get enough of Ben!!!

Posted By: Lonely Guy got caught with his hands in his pants again!!!! | March 12, 2011 at 09:28 PM

Most of the people jumping on the "gender equity" issue appear to be the right-wing trolls that populate the Politico boards. Note their elegant rhetorical parry that Obama was somehow chosen because he was African American, as if the long and heated batter with HRC didn't happen, and as if voters actually think about such a thing when they enter the booth.

Posted By: Most of the people jumping on the "gender equity" issue appear to be the right-wing trolls that popu | March 12, 2011 at 10:31 PM

Regardless of who picked her, the buck stops with McCain. He is the one who made the irresponsible decision to have her on the ticket. It was a stupid and irresponsible showing little concern for the well-being of his country and its citizens. I shudder when I think this woman might have been the Vice-President. Thank God enough people realized how unqualified and ignorant she is.

Picking her showed that he is just an old, senile man whose judgment is way off. Because of what almost happened in 2008, we need to introduce age limits for the highest office and members of Congress as well. Enough with this American disease which claims that the older you get, the younger you become. Anyone over 75 is old and should adjust their lifestyle accordingly. I cannot do things I used to do 25 years ago either. When you are between 65 an 70, it's time to retire, not to assume the most difficult job of becoming the President of The United States. This applies to the US Congress too. We have had enough Senators carried out of their office to their grave. What can a 90 year old do that is productive and meaningless for the country? Absolutely nothing. Honor them by giving them medals, not permanent Senate seats.

Posted By: Picking her showed that he is just an old, senile man whose judgment is way off. Because of what alm | March 13, 2011 at 12:39 AM

Sarah Palin was an exellent pick for VP. The problem with the 2008 GOP ticket was John McCain, who was not a Republican. He was a member of the Maverick Party. McCain's idea was to run a "clean" campaign--i e he had no fight in him. He even forbade anyone on his team to use what should have been his and the Republicans Trump Card, Comrade Obama's sordid past. While the Democrat Socialists used everything they could, even going back to McCain's and Palin's teenage years (perfectly OK in a political fight), McCain was trying to play Mr. Nice Guy, and not bring up Comrade Obamas close ties to the racist white--hating gang of James Combs's and Malcolm X's 'The Black Liberation Front'; his close ties with his good buddies Frank Marshall Davies and Paul Robeson, co-leaders of CPUSA (Communist Party USA); his close ties to racist white and America--haters Jerimiah Wright Jr, and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, and America--hating terrorists Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dorhn. Matter of fact, Comrade Obama's entire adult life was one of friendship and associations with white--hating, and America--hating Communists. Mr. Clean McCain stayed clean, didn't use his Trump Card, and lost because of it. Comrade Obama in fact couldn't lose for another reason. He had the entire Main Stream News Media in his pocket, and on his side. Had they been doing what journalists are supposed to do--be the watchdog for the people--they would have investigated everybodies past running for office, and not just Republicans, and we would have been informed about Comrade Obama's racist white--hating, and America--hating past. Instead, the MSM successfully censored practically all of it.

To the poster at 2:10, who said Obama was picked for "racial balance" ..... Why post if you don't understand elections or how they work ??? Obama was picked by the VOTERS ...... In other words he decided to run and the VOTERS decided to vote for him ...... Half Term Sarah was picked by ONE MAN, John Mccain to run on HIS ticket ..... She was NOT VOTED on by anybody before she became part of the ticket !!!!! Whereas Obama ran and received ACTUAL VOTES by the people in the primaries (most of which he won) ole Half Term never ran in any primaries, never received ONE vote, and became the VP candidate because of ONE MAN, she was never vetted, and was picked SOLELY to try to pick up disgruntled female Hillary voters, who saw her for what she was ..... Totally unprepared and unqualified to be in the position John Mccain put her in !!!! To sum it up, Obama EARNED his place on the ticket, Half Term was GIVEN her place on the ticket and that gift played a big part in the election outcome !!!!

Carl,
I notice that you do not go past 2013 because you know IF she were ever elected to anything, she would quit before the year is over. falin' palin does not like any job that requires work and she certainly can not take criticism!
SO if she were to be elected, which she NEVER will be, she would quit shortly after taking office because it would be too hard for the bit@@ and she does not like anything that requires effort.

Posted By: Carl,
I notice that you do not go past 2013 because you know IF she were ever elected to anything, | March 13, 2011 at 09:35 AM

sig, like Sarah Palin, you are an idiot. Every comment you make has to be about socialism, Kenya or comrades. It is boring, it is stupid and it doesn't make any sense. If you read all the comments in this thread (or any other you have ever posted to), it is clear that your viewpoint represents a minority. Sarah Palin will never get elected President no matter how much you and those like you wish for that to happen. She became a symbol of your frustration and a channel to express it. That is why she is being mentioned so frequently by those whose lives have become a misery during this recession. I will take a "socialist" Obama over "capitalist" Bush any day of the week and twice on Sunday. The Republican vision does not work and the 2007 economic collapse is the proof that this is so. So be prepared to live with Obama as your President until January 2016.

Posted By: sig, like Sarah Palin, you are an idiot. Every comment you make has to be about socialism, Kenya or | March 13, 2011 at 09:50 AM

It's maybe not that liberals hate God, so much as they just don't believe there is one. They believe in the power of Humans and their form of Government rule. They could never bring themselves to consider a "higher power" as that would destroy all of their humanistic beliefs. They only believe in aliens ,ufo's,other life-forms on other planets and stuff that like that. A Omnipotent God of a Higher plane is simply beyond their realm I guess?.

More evidence of how myopic the Washington press is. They always depict her as coming out of nowhere, although she was the governor with the highest approval ratings in the country. Read a lot of what they say as an effort to defend and protect their cherished position in the political establishment.

Posted By: More evidence of how myopic the Washington press is. They always depict her as coming out of nowhere | March 13, 2011 at 11:24 AM

Clearly, this is a bunch of sore McCain Campaign people trying to find a place to lay blame. It couldn't be the fact that the so called "Maverick's" Campaign nearly imploded several times, because the base hated him. No. It has to be the person who gave the campaign a boost. Give me a break.

Posted By: Clearly, this is a bunch of sore McCain Campaign people trying to find a place to lay blame. It coul | March 13, 2011 at 11:39 AM

You Sara Palin supporters on this blog are probably nothing more than people she payed to blog for her benifit or Sara herself tooting her own horn under a false name like she does on facebook.(puke)You are living in an alternative reality,just keep buying her books and listening to her $100,000 a pop rallies.
She cost Mccain the election, as even most of the conservatives will not support her.She limits herself to Fox so she can say anything and go unchallanged (fair and balanced?).So that just leaves the tea baggers.The tea baggers will become history after they try to cut medicare,SS after giving tax breaks to the top 2%.
How long do you think that is going to last ?
Based on Sarahs latest all time low poll numbers ,I think that gig is just about up for both of them.Wink ,Wink,you-betcha.

She had two major qualifiers -- a woman who was anti-abortion.
You could not find a republican woman of any stature who believed that roe v wade should be overturned. Due to the abortion litmus test (and yes the dems have one too), Snowe, Hutchinson, Collins, etc. were out and Palin was in.

Mr. McCain should be renamed Mr. Magoo.
The fool wanted a sexy babe as running mate, thinking a babe would appeal to the trailer trash scumbags he seems to cater to.
She actually thought at the time that he was the barrier to her Presidential lust and that they should have switched roles.

Well yeah, it was kind of obvious to everyone with a brain that she was chosen because she's female and telegenic. This sort of thinking is exactly why McCain is useless--he's the ultimate RINO, willing to say and do anything if some statisticans think it might make him more marketable. Nevermind developing a cohesive platform and sticking with it, it's all about numbers and "the prize."
And people wonder how the Tea Party managed to gain so much support...

Poor, poor Joe @ 05:46 PM. No palin probably didn’t smoke a ton of crack, but she is/was a pot smoker, and hokey mike huckie even made a funny joke about palin doing lines of cocaine :

"The former Arkansas governor appeared on Fox News' Red Eye to talk about Sarah Palin's views on marijuana use. He wrapped up the segment with a smoothly delivered punch line:
After Sarah Palin made these comments she then produced a gram of coke from her purse and did line after line on the glass table.”

I just love when niggaz accuse other of racismm, hahaha. And yet their House Negro sat for 20 years in a racist Trinity United Church and called her racist preacher his personal spiritual adviser... Of course Barry later claimed he didn't hear anything of that, so I guess this means Rev. Wright wasn't speaking too loud. Hahahaha...

According to Devvy Kidd, Palin was picked months before. Dual bank accounts were set up. She showed the details.
The McCain/Palin ticket was designed to lose.
McCain to attract the Liberal Vote, Palin to destroy it. Between the two they were sure to antagonise both conservative and liberal republicans and floaters.
Obama was the chosen one and no so-called 'election' was going to cost him his anointing.
When are Americans going to realize their 'democracy' is a joke.

ROFL, this obvious fact was stated at her announcement. Talk about a day late and a dollar short, here is a ols news flash for the slow in thinking, Steele was the last minute Token, to show race equality in a White Supremacist Party. Talk about it getting out late.